Skip to content
  • About
  • Partner with Us
  • Indonesia
  • Subscribe
  • Log In
Primary Menu
  • Home
  • Latest
  • Topics
  • News
  • Brief
  • Interview
  • Opinion
  • Figure
  • Infographic
  • Video
  • Community
  • Partner
  • Press Release
  • Youth
  • Global
  • Featured
  • Soft News

Arts and Health: How can arts and creativity improve life quality?

Over the years, there has been growing evidence in the connection between arts and health and its potential benefits in improving life quality.
by Kresentia Madina April 14, 2023
a hand holding a paintbrush above palette

Photo: Rifqi Ali Ridho on Unsplash.

Since the beginning of time, art has always been an integral part of society. Art plays a significant role in our mental and physical health; it shapes how we perceive, communicate, learn, express ourselves, and heal. As the world has grown more chaotic, recognizing and supporting the connection between arts and health has become crucial to improving life quality.

Arts and Health

Most of the time, articulating our feelings and emotions can be difficult. We often seek art to understand our living experiences when things get rough. It’s also a way to express our individual and collective identities. The role of art in improving our health and well-being may initially seem vague, but growing evidence has emphasized the connections between the two fields.

A WHO European Region report shares evidence that engaging with art can improve people’s health and well-being. Through various studies, the report found that art can support children’s emotional and cognitive development, encourage healthy living, support people with mental illness and neurological disorders, and help with end-of-life care.

Another WHO report also shows that engaging in arts activities can positively impact forcibly displaced people and their host community by promoting social inclusion, cohesion, acceptance, and belonging.

Singapore also saw growth in the role of arts in the healthcare and social services sector. For instance, Ng Teng Fong General Hospital’s Arts and Health program integrates creativity into care and community settings for “therapeutic, educational, and expressive purposes.” The social services sector also saw the increasing trend of creative-based therapy to promote a better quality of life, especially for elder care.

Better policy and support

Art makes its way into our lives, including our journey to create a better world for all. Harnessing the potential of art for health interventions needs strong policy support and clear implementation frameworks. WHO outlines some policy considerations to strengthen the role of arts in the healthcare and social services sectors. Some of them are:

  • Supporting research in the arts and health, particularly focusing on scaling up interventions and discovering new innovations.
  • Actively promoting public awareness of the potential benefits of arts engagement for health. This includes ensuring access to culturally diverse forms of art.
  • Strengthening structures and mechanisms for collaboration between the culture, social care, and health sectors through programs.

Ultimately, progress related to sustainable development shouldn’t be made at the expense of others. Beyond healthcare, supporting the role of art as an integral part of our lives also means actively working towards an inclusive and fair industry. All developments must be made with the spirit of leaving no one behind in social, economic, and environmental aspects.

Editor: Nazalea Kusuma


Subscribe to Green Network Asia
Strengthen your personal and professional development with cross-sectoral insights on sustainability-related issues and sustainable development across the Asia Pacific and beyond.
Select Your Subscription Plan
Kresentia Madina
Kresentia Madina
Reporter at Green Network Asia | Website |  + postsBio

Madina is the Assistant Manager for Digital Publications at Green Network Asia. She graduated from Universitas Indonesia with a bachelor's degree in English Literature. She has three years of professional experience working on GNA international digital publications, programs, and partnerships particularly on social and cultural issues.

  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    ASEAN and the UK Launched Partnership for Health Security
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    GRI’s Updated Sustainability Standards on Climate Change and Energy
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    Australian Climate Visa for Citizens of Tuvalu: Showcasing cross-border partnership in light of the climate crisis
  • Kresentia Madina
    https://greennetwork.asia/author/kresentiamadina/
    A Worrying State of Insect Decline

Continue Reading

Previous: Forward-Looking Public Policy: Improving Public Policy in Developing Countries
Next: Accelerating Gender-Responsive Financial Instruments in Indonesia

Related Stories

A wet light bulb hanging on a wire How Solar Sister Connects Clean Energy with Women’s Empowerment
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

How Solar Sister Connects Clean Energy with Women’s Empowerment

by Attiatul Noor July 10, 2025
Constructions for biogas development Community-based Renewable Energy Initiatives in Halmahera’s Transmigrant Villages
  • Community Content
  • Featured

Community-based Renewable Energy Initiatives in Halmahera’s Transmigrant Villages

by Arifa Fajar July 9, 2025
wooden blocks with symbols ASEAN and the UK Launched Partnership for Health Security
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

ASEAN and the UK Launched Partnership for Health Security

by Kresentia Madina July 8, 2025
A young man sits alone in a low light room, looking distressed while holding his phone. How the Manosphere Is Reshaping Young Men’s Identity
  • Brief
  • Featured

How the Manosphere Is Reshaping Young Men’s Identity

by Sukma Prasanthi July 7, 2025
Vegetable farming How Plant the Emirates Aims to Support Food Self-Sufficiency in the UAE
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

How Plant the Emirates Aims to Support Food Self-Sufficiency in the UAE

by Attiatul Noor July 4, 2025
figure of houses and pipes that emit smoke GRI’s Updated Sustainability Standards on Climate Change and Energy
  • Exclusive
  • Featured
  • Soft News

GRI’s Updated Sustainability Standards on Climate Change and Energy

by Kresentia Madina July 3, 2025

About Us

  • GNA CEO’s Letter
  • GNA In-House Team
  • GNA Author Network
  • GNA Press Release Guidelines
  • GNA Op-ed Article Guidelines
  • GNA Community Content Guidelines
  • GNA Internship
  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Service
  • Privacy Policy
© 2021-2025 Green Network Asia